The Best Movies Made for Under $500k

In the era of overspending in Hollywood — where it’s become completely normal to greenlight a $200M budget for a movie — there have been calls to rein in costs and return to making more mid-budget cinema. Will we ever see this happen? I believe, eventually, yes — there will be a shift in that direction. Just look at Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” which was made for under $10M; it once again proved that acclaimed films can be made at relatively low costs.

How about micro-budgeted indies? The ones made for under $1M. I know — I’m pushing it — but these are the real indies. Imagine making something so compelling and technically impressive with just a six-figure budget. It’s happened. Not a lot. But it has — mostly by first-time directors trying to prove themselves.

It’s important to shine a light on ultra–low-budget cinema and highlight the incredible films made under these constraints. Despite severe financial limitations, there have been wildly successful movies that struck a chord with both audiences and critics alike. It’s damn near inspiring—exhilarating, even—to watch a filmmaker push past the limits of money and create a film that ultimately feels greater than almost any movie made with 100 times the budget.

Now, let’s focus on more modern-day filmmaking. We could probably list an innumerable number of films made before 1980 that had budgets under $500,000 (without accounting for inflation), including works by John Cassavetes (“Shadows”), Jean-Luc Godard (“Breathless”), John Waters (“Pink Flamingos”), Chantal Akerman (“Jeanne Dielman”), John Carpenter (“Dark Star”), Tobe Hooper (“Texas Chainsaw Massacre”), and others. That’s not what I’m looking for here

Inspired by today’s trailer for A24’s “undertone,” which fits the criteria, what are the best — and more recent — examples of great films made for under $500,000? I’ve found 20. I’m sure I’m missing some, and that’s where you come in — chime in with your own picks.

“Stranger Than Paradise” (Jim Jarmusch) $100k
“Slacker” (Richard Linklater) — $23k
“Clerks” (Kevin Smith) — $27k
“El Mariachi” (Robert Rodriguez) — $7k
“Pi” (Darren Aronofsky) — $134k
“The Blair Witch Project” (Myrick/Sanchez) — $60k
“Primer” (Shane Carruth) — $7k
“Swingers” (Doug Liman) — $200k
“Brick” (Rian Johnson) — $450k
“Bronson” (Nicolas Winding Refn) — $280k
“Once” (John Carney) — $150k
“Paranormal Activity” (Oren Peli) — $150k
“Upstream Color” (Shane Carruth) — $50K
“Wendy and Lucy” (Kelly Reichardt) — $300k
“Short Term 12” (Daniel Destin Cretton)— $400k
“Tangerine” (Sean Baker) — $400k
“Dogtooth”(Yorgos Lanthimos) — $275K
“Victoria” (Sebastian Schipper) — $500K
“A Separation” (Asghar Farhadi) — $400K
“Krisha” (Trey Edward Shults) — $30K
“A Ghost Story” (David Lowery) — $100K